Time as a structural element in the music of John Cage: A study of representative piano pieces.
Item
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Title
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Time as a structural element in the music of John Cage: A study of representative piano pieces.
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Identifier
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AAI3144135
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identifier
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3144135
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Creator
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Roman, Beatriz.
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Contributor
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Adviser: Philip Lambert
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Date
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2004
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Music
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Abstract
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This paper is a study of the structural uses of time in three representative piano works of John Cage: Music of Changes (1951), Etudes Australes (1974--75), and Music for...(1984--5, solo piano version).;The introductory chapter looks at the development of Cage's time structures during the forties in order to give a background for the further developments in the three representative pieces. It also introduces the concept of frames as a way of understanding time structures in the music.;The three representative pieces are then studied in the following three chapters, one work per chapter. Each chapter first describes the systems created by Cage to compose the piece, in order to investigate how decisions made by the composer in the conception of the compositional system affect the time structure of each piece: the design of the system was the area in which Cage had control since the music was composed using chance operations. Second, the architecture of each piece is studied as a structure of frames that define the temporal divisions of the work. This system of frames organizes the unfolding of the music in time. The goal of this method is to analyze the music in its own terms, believing that this approach will result in a better understanding of the concept of time in Cage's music.;The study of time as a structural element in Cage's music brings insights into the main areas of his compositional thought and clarifies his musical style. By analyzing the three selected works the aim is to follow this line of development in Cage's music, and to look for any links between, and common threads running through, the various uses of time at different stages of his compositional practice.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy Restricted.xlsx
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degree
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D.M.A.